Cataclysm Stats Changes, Masteries, Terrain Phasing

Stats changes and Masteries in Cataclysm
One of the biggest change introduced with Cataclysm is the simplification of existing stats. I usually get a few mails each week asking me about this, time for a reminder!

Originally Posted by Wryxian
(Blue Tracker)

In World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, there are plans to streamline the statistics found on items. We want to remove all unnecessary stats, make all existing stats understandable, and make all "core" stats more appealing. Here are some examples of such plans.

MP5: This will be removed from items and replaced with Spirit. All healers will be given a meditation-like ability.

Spell Power: Spell Power is being removed from items as well. Don't panic, we'll be improving Intellect so that it provides mana and Spell Power.

Attack Power: We're removing Attack Power from items as well. Instead, we're allowing Agility to provide the necessary Attack Power for leather and mail wearers. Strength will provide the appropriate amount of Attack Power for plate wearers. This means leather and mail items will no longer be desirable for plate wearers.

Defense: The Defense statistic is also being removed from items so that players no longer have to worry about juggling around "the cap." Tanks will receive the necessary anti-crit from talents, like Survival of the Fittest.

Armor Penetration: This ability is too confusing and "mathy." It is being replaced with Mastery, a stat that makes you better at what you do. More on that later!

Haste: Will also increase the rate at which you gain energy, runes, and focus. Retribution paladins and Enhancement shaman will have a talent that allows them to take advantage of this benefit.

Block: Block Value is being removed. Blocking will now always mitigate a percentage of damage.

Stamina: Players will notice more Stamina on gear as Defense, Spell Power, Attack Power and Armor Penetration are removed.

Hunter (Forums / Talent Calculator)
Also receiving a massive overall are hunters. The hunter’s need to rely upon mana is completely gone, and instead they will use focus. This means hunters will no longer care at all about Intellect, mana regen or Aspect of the Viper. Focus will regenerate continually, similar to how rogues or feral druids regenerate energy. For comparison, rogues regenerate approximately 10 energy per second, whereas hunters will regenerate 6 focus per second. However, Steady Shot can also be used to improve focus regen, and bring the rate at which hunters regenerate focus to 12 per second. The hunter will have a maximum of 100 focus, and shots might cost 30 or 60 focus, with fewer cooldowns on abilities. Another exciting and long-awaited change regards the ammunition system. Ammunition will become an equipable item, and will no longer be consumable. More details on that later!

Warlock (Forums / Talent Calculator)
The soul shard system is receiving a massive revamp, and will now become a core feature of the warlock class. Soul shards will no longer act as an inventory item, but rather exist as a resource, and appear below the warlock's health and mana bar. A new spell, Soul Burn, will be the only warlock ability to cost a soul shard, and will empower most of your other spells to behave differently. For instance, when combined with Fear it causes the spell to become instant. Other examples include: guaranteeing your Searing Pain spell three critical hits, increased horror effect and additional healing from Death Coil, and instant summoning from your summon demon spell. Soul shards will regenerate quickly upon leaving combat, and you may also be able to use drain soul as a "soul shard evocation."

The expansion will also remove a lot of the passive talents for each class like bonuses to hit %, etc ... The goal here is to only keep the fun and useful talents like Body and Soul or Juggernaut. These bonuses won't disappear, they will be added to your character through the new Mastery system.

Masteries are the passive bonus you get when you spec in a talent tree, the deeper you go in the tree the higher the bonus is. You can see a small preview in the screenshots below.

Paladin

Holy - +% Healing, +% Spell Crit, +% Crit Heal

Protection - -% Damage Taken, +% Health, +% Block Amount

Retribution - +% Melee Damage, + Melee Crit, -% Ability Cooldown

Rogue

Assassination - +% Melee Damage, +% Melee Crit, +% Poison Damage

Combat - +% Melee Damage, +% Hit Chance, +% Armor Penetration

Subtlety - +% Melee Damage, +% Melee Haste, +% Energy Regeneration

Hunter

Marksmanship - Unknown Bonus #1, Unknown Bonus #2, Focus Regeneration

Beast Mastery - Unknown Bonus #1, Unknown Bonus #2, Pet Damage

Survival - No information.

A new Mastery stat will also be added to the game and will let you improve one of this bonus, in the case of the Retribution Paladin the stat affects the bonus to abilities' cooldowns.

Terrain Phasing in Cataclysm
A "minor" feature of Cataclysm is the improved phasing. Wrath of the Lich King allowed developers to phase out NPCs and Cataclysm will let them modify the terrain over time! In the example below you can see 3 stages of terrain phasing :

World of Warcraft Magazine Wallpaper
This wallpaper looks almost like a spoiler ... The Lich King isn't doing well apparently.

A complete version of the artwork was also posted earlier this week. (Source)

Happy Holidays from Blizzard
[blizzquote="Nebu;http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml]The holiday season is upon us, and it's gift-giving time! We've released the artwork featured on this year’s Blizzard holiday card. We hope you enjoy it, and we wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season. [/blizzquote"]

2009 Blizzard Holiday Card Contest Winners
[blizzquote="Nebu;http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml]Congratulations to the winners of our inaugural Blizzard Holiday Card Contest, and thanks to everyone who sent in their Warcraft, StarCraft, or Diablo-inspired take on season's greetings! If you're looking to spread some last-minute holiday cheer, we've made our favorite entries available for you to download and send out to your guildies and broodmates. [url=http://www.blizzard.com/en-us/community/contests/holidaycard/winners.html][b]Click here[/b][/url] to see our 2009 Blizzard Holiday Card Contest winners and honorable mentions.[/blizzquote"]

Re: Cataclysm Stats Changes, Masteries, Terrain Phasing

Originally Posted by Philbert

Yeah...a stat that makes me better at what I do? So if I am good at heals, should I stack armor penetration now?

You really fail at reading don't you? If you would've checked the whole post, you'd notice how combat rogues have a 10% Arpen mastery stat, they said Arpen will be removed, and Mastery will replace it, and will also replace some other "boring" talents. (So a priest mastery, would be 10% SP or 5% more healing, I don't know, but pay attention while reading, cause then you wouldn't need to write that)

Oh yea, almost forgot. That phasing is daaamn sweet, can't wait to see if we purify the Plaguelands :P Also, the masteries thing is sweet, Cata will be awesome, I'm sure.

I won the game and all I got was this lousy signature.

Please; if you have any doubts about how to spec Google it, it'll be way faster than making a thread about it.

Re: Cataclysm Stats Changes, Masteries, Terrain Phasing

Originally Posted by JohnnyWh94

You really fail at reading don't you? If you would've checked the whole post, you'd notice how combat rogues have a 10% Arpen mastery stat, they said Arpen will be removed, and Mastery will replace it, and will also replace some other "boring" talents. (So a priest mastery, would be 10% SP or 5% more healing, I don't know, but pay attention while reading, cause then you wouldn't need to write that)

Oh yea, almost forgot. That phasing is daaamn sweet, can't wait to see if we purify the Plaguelands :P Also, the masteries thing is sweet, Cata will be awesome, I'm sure.

Rawr, the claws are out.

I read the post, and yes, I saw what it said. I just find it funny how they worded it.

Re: Cataclysm Stats Changes, Masteries, Terrain Phasing

Originally Posted by Zokten

Still waiting for blizzard to make it a 1stat-1race-1class game.

Well, lets see.
-Hunters have their own resource system. (Similar to rogues, still different)
-Leather/Mail have no use for plate users (im dk running with mail boots since i cant get plate anywhere)
-More "fun" rather than "passive" talents (good if they dont overdo it)
-Soul burn empowerments
-Different Mastery bonuses to all specs

And thats from this topic only.

If you talk about the removing of stats, oh well.
It is a game, you don't have to be forced to see every possible theorycraft to play game properly, even MMO.

And btw, I like theorycrafting, but I also see whats better for the whole playerbase.

Re: Cataclysm Stats Changes, Masteries, Terrain Phasing

I really wonder how they end up dealing with mastery's in the Feral tree for druids, considering this tree is used both for tanking and dps and as such i hope there's a way to get either survivability mastery or damage mastery or otherwise they probably effectively kill of feral dps.